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Leviathans
Believed to have existed in the Midplane before even the Devils and Gods, Leviathans are fearsome creatures of unspeakable age and power. While they are typically grouped in with the Monster Race, their true nature and origins are unknown. Some believe they are believe they are the sentient manifestations of aspects of the Universe, sentient black holes given shape. Others say they were born of the aberrations caused by Lucifer during the weaving of Creation. Yet others believe they are the material shards of Outer Beasts. Physiology The Physiology of Leviathans is hard to describe. While they certainly have physical bodies, the nature of these are fluid and defy description by mortal races who observe them. Instead the observing mortal will see the Leviathan within the context of their own experiences, manifesting them as the largest, most terrible and frightening thing they can imagine. Whatever form they assume, Leviathans are always of titanic proportions. Leviathans are dependent on consuming life force from planets or stars to sustain their power, and once they run out of energy will enter a state of hibernation. Because of their immortal nature, they do not die from this but it does leave them vulnerable to more permanent damage or perhaps even death from their enemies. Leviathans are particularly vulnerable to the element of Darkness and will instinctively withdraw from it. Powers Leviathans are cosmic entities with power called the Elder Force that rivals the Grace of Gods. They can use their power to produce nearly any effect they desire, including size alteration, the transmutation of matter, the teleportation of objects across space, the creation of force fields and inter-dimensional portals, telepathy, telekinesis, universal cosmic awareness, the creation of life, resurrection, manipulating souls, memories and emotions, recreating dead worlds in every detail (including utterly convincing illusions of their entire populations), and energy projection. However, unlike Grace or Fury which is self-perpetuating, the Elder Force must be fueled by consuming planets with the potential for life (or even in the case of the more powerful Leviathans entire stars). A fully recharged Leviathan is a formidable opponent for even the strongest of gods, but one that is starving can be driven off by powerful mortals. Personality Leviathans are described as malicious beyond any explanation and whereas Gods would dedicate themselves to some or other concept, they consider themselves beyond such things as good or evil. Infinitely old and wise, Leviathans frequently use this wisdom to taunt others. Their reaction to anything other than themselves ranges from detached ambivalence to violent hatred. They are extremely solitary and prefer being alone, and more often than not seem content to sit out in the Void and not do anything. On other occasions, they will appear above a planet or attack a God or their plans for no apparent reason. Because of their power, all but the strongest Gods generally abandon their plans rather than face the Leviathan. On occasions, they have contacted populations of mortal beings presenting themselves as objects of worship, only to turn up and devour whatever it was that sparked their attention. Culture and Society Leviathans do not seem to have any form of organized society. They tend to be solitary creatures, who avoid any other form of life, even eachother. It has been implied that Leviathans that encroach on eachother generally attempt to devour one another. In reality there are some Leviathans that are more powerful than others, as greater ones are typically orbited by lesser ones who placate them so that they will not be devoured. Religion Leviathans consider themselves to be the most powerful things in the Universe and the only things worthy of reverence. Notable Leviathans Solarus[[Solarus|,' Ignited Emperor Who Devours Worlds And Gods']] Perhaps the best known in the Known Universe, Solarus is (or at least claims to be) one of the most powerful Leviathans. He is most commonly seen as an enormous glowing giant with a humanoid shape. A crown of light encircles his head. When he travels through the expanse of space he manifests a massive spherical ship around himself. Intrepid adventurers who have entered this sphere often find a convoluted labyrinth of arcane design, at the center of which sits Solarus on a massive throne. When he feeds he manifests tendrils of this ship which will penetrate a planet’s crust and drain it of life force. Solarus rarely acknowledges the presence of mortals, regarding them as less than nothing in his eyes. Even other Leviathans fear him. Karkas A Leviathan who once terrorized the world of Arus, he was defeated and sealed away by King Crash. Eons later he was released by a vengeful Agni who sought to destroy her nephew Gaia, but the Leviathan was seemingly slain by him at the cost of his mortal life. Karkas appeared as a with a boney mask that looked like a horned howling face and dozens of arms. Zeferiot A Leviathan that manifests as a narrow octahedron. Gorn A Leviathan who was active in the Heroic Age who has since entered a state of death-like hibernation, Gorn is notable in that he has a powerful cult dedicated to his worship. He communicates telepathically with the most devout of his followers to convey his wishes, driving them mad by touching their minds. Gorn's manifestation form is of a titanic humanoid with black slimy skin and spiked bone-like protrusions along his shoulders, arms and thighs. His face looks like a massive four-eyed squid and a mess of tendrils drops from where his mouth should be. When he unleashes his true power gleaming insect like wings project forth from his back. Kadesh Appears as a floating black tree with dangling roots and crystalline branches. Its core appears as a glowing orb that looks like a sun peeking through a tree’s leaves. His “trunk” is covered with a number of objects that look like masks through which it communicates. Arradia Often referred to as a “she” because of her shape, Arradia appears as the shadow of a woman in a long gown. The strands of her hair act as tentacles which she will drive into the surface of a planet to suck out its energy. Orthent A Leviathan about whom little is known. Trivia - Contact with Leviathans often has the effect of driving people to madness. Like Gods their true natures defy the abilities of mortals to process and their names are synonymous with unspeakable terror. - Many Leviathans have cults of worshipers dedicated to them made up of gibbering fanatics. In Shiva, the Holy Order would actively work to stamp out these cults at the behest of the Dragon Gods whenever they were found. In many cases this required the destruction of entire planets to wipe out all traces of the Leviathan's influence among the mortals. - Many times the passing of a Leviathan leaves horrible events in its wake. On most planets they leave the mortals who came into contact with them in slobbering insanity, on others the dead are animated by evil forces resulting in a zombie apocalypse. On still others cracks in the dimensional barrier occur through which eldritch horrors creep through. - Unlike Gods, Leviathans are able to easily move between the 9 Worlds across the Sea of Chaos. For reasons unknown however, they cannot or will not approach Crown. Category:Races Category:Deities Category:Immortal Races